Latest news with #ChristianBrückner
BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
Madeleine McCann Portugal search to enter third day
Searches for Madeleine McCann are due to resume on Thursday morning near to where she disappeared from Praia da Luz, and Portuguese investigators have until Friday to look for evidence relating to the disappearance of the British toddler 18 years ago. Officers are scouring a 21 sq km (8.1 sq miles) site between where she went missing and where the German investigators' prime suspect, Christian Brückner, had been staying at the 48-year-old is serving a prison sentence in Germany for an unrelated rape case, however he could be released as early as September. Three-year-old Madeleine McCann vanished from an apartment in the Algarve while on holiday with her family in May 2007. Her disappearance is one of the highest-profile missing person cases in the world. Madeleine's case was initially handled by the Portuguese authorities with the aid of the Metropolitan German police took the lead in 2020 when they identified Brückner as a is known to have spent time in the same part of Portugal between 2000 and police suspect him of murder. British police continue to treat the case as a missing persons has repeatedly denied any involvement and no charges have been brought against him relating to Madeleine's disappearance. A European warrant has been approved by Portuguese prosecutors to allow German teams to conduct the latest searches on private and specialist equipment were brought in to help scour scrubland and abandoned buildings on Wednesday. Searches were last carried near the Barragem do Arade reservoir in 2023 as Brückner had photographs and videos of himself in the the night Madeleine disappeared, her parents had been at dinner with friends at a restaurant a short walk away while their three-year-old daughter and her younger twin siblings were asleep in the ground-floor month, Kate and Gerry McCann marked the 18th year anniversary of her disappearance, saying their "determination to leave no stone unturned is unwavering".However they would not comment during the "active police investigation", staff at the Find Madeleine Campaign said.
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Madeleine McCann: Search continues in Portugal's Praia da Luz
Searches for Madeleine McCann are to resume in Portugal, 18 years after she disappeared from an apartment complex in Praia da Luz in the and German authorities are expected to continue to focus the search on disused buildings and was three when she vanished while on holiday with her parents on 3 May 2007, sparking a Europe-wide police investigation that has become one of the highest-profile missing persons search - which covers the municipality of Lagos, near Praia da Luz - will continue until Friday across a 21km sq site between where Madeleine went missing and where the German investigators' prime suspect had been staying at the time. Timeline: Madeleine McCann disappearanceMadeleine's case was initially handled by the Portuguese authorities with the aid of the Metropolitan Police, but German investigators took the lead in 2020, when they identified German national Christian Brückner as their prime 48-year-old is currently serving a sentence in Germany for the rape of a 72-year-old American tourist in Portugal in 2005. He is due to be released in September, but that could be pushed back to early 2026 if he does not pay a fine he search site is located around 3.5 miles from the Ocean Club resort, where Madeleine and her family had been leading up to the area - which is large and mostly scrubland - have been closed since Monday, where the team had been clearing grass and Tuesday morning, a Portuguese fire engine and four vehicles carrying German police arrived. Firefighters also drained a well as part of the last search took place two years ago and was focused around a reservoir to the north-east of where the British toddler was staying. Brückner, who spent time in the area between 2000 and 2017, was found to have photographs and videos of himself near the reservoir. German authorities suspect Brückner of murder and fear that if he is not charged with anything new he will disappear following his release. British police continue to treat the case as a missing persons has repeatedly denied any police have a European warrant, which has been approved by Portuguese prosecutors, will allow them to conduct searches on private land. This week's search is expected to span across 21 different plots of have not disclosed if they are conducting this latest search in Portugal based on any new information, making it appear as if they are taking one last look in places where evidence or a body could have been hiddenPortuguese authorities have also named Brückner as a formal suspect, or "arguido". They said they will hand over any evidence seized in the latest search to German Met Police, which said this week that it was aware of the searches being carried out by German police in Portugal, continues its investigation into Madeleine's case, known as Operation Grange, has been ongoing since 2011 and has cost around £13.3m to the night Madeleine disappeared, her parents had been at dinner with friends at a restaurant a short distance away from the ground-floor apartment she and her younger twin siblings were asleep mother, Kate, discovered she was missing at around 22:00.A German documentary in 2022 found evidence that Brückner occasionally worked at the Ocean Club as a handyman, while German prosecutors have also linked his mobile phone data and a car sale to their case against parents marked the 18th year anniversary of her disappearance last month, saying their "determination to leave no stone unturned is unwavering".
New York Times
3 days ago
- General
- New York Times
Police Renew Searches in Madeleine McCann Investigation in Portugal
New searches are being carried out in Portugal as part of the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, a British child who went missing while on vacation with her parents more than 18 years ago. Police officers were combing an area near the Praia da Luz resort in Portugal's southern Algarve region, where Madeleine, then three years old, was last seen in May 2007. The Polícia Judiciária, Portugal's main national criminal investigation agency, said the operation was prompted by a legal order issued by German authorities who are investigating a German man, Christian Brückner, whom they believe may have killed Madeleine. The searches began on Monday and were scheduled to end on Friday, a statement said, adding: 'All evidence seized by the Polícia Judiciária will be handed over to agents of the German Federal Criminal Police Service, subject to prior authorization from the national Public Prosecutor's Office.' The Metropolitan Police, which led the original investigation into Madeleine's disappearance, said they were aware of the searches but were not present at the scene and would assist if necessary. Mr. Brückner, 48, is the main suspect in the case. He is serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for the rape of a 72-year-old American woman in Praia da Luz in 2005. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
BBC News
4 days ago
- General
- BBC News
New Madeleine McCann search under way
Portuguese and German authorities have started a new search into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in Portugal nearly two decades was three years old when she vanished from an apartment complex in the town Praia da Luz in Algarve during a family holiday on 3 May 2007. Her disappearance sparked a Europe-wide police investigation, and has become one of the highest-profile unsolved missing person cases in the Monday, Portuguese police confirmed they were carrying out the search on warrants issued by German police say the search - which covers the municipality of Lagos near Praia da Luz - is due to continue until Friday. Four vehicles carrying German police have arrived on the search site, the roads to which have been closed off. German investigators have taken the lead in the case since they identified Christian Brückner as their prime suspect in 48-year-old is currently serving a sentence in Germany for a separate crime - the rape of a 72-year-old American tourist in Portugal in 2005. He is due to be released later this authorities suspect him of murder but have not found enough evidence to bring charges, while Brückner repeatedly denies any authorities have also named Brückner as a formal suspect, or "arguido". They said they would hand over any evidence seized in the latest search to German team of German and Portuguese investigators have been given permission to search 21 plots of land between the Ocean Club resort Madeleine disappeared from and where Brückner had been staying at the authorities told the BBC on Monday that "criminal proceedings are currently under way in Portugal" with the support of Portuguese previous search was two years ago, focussed around a reservoir where Madeleine was last who spent time in the area between 2000 and 2017, was found to have photographs and videos of himself near the reservoir. The night Madeleine disappeared, her parents had been at dinner with friends at a restaurant a short walk away while Madeleine and her younger twin siblings were asleep in the ground-floor mother, Kate, discovered her was missing at around 22:00.A German documentary in 2022 found evidence that Brückner occasionally worked at the Ocean Club as a handyman, while German prosecutors have also linked his mobile phone data and a car sale to their case against parents last month marked the 18th year anniversary of her disappearance, saying their "determination to leave no stone unturned is unwavering".The Metropolitan Police - which this week said it was "aware of the searches being carried by the BKA (German federal police) in Portugal" - continues its investigation into Madeleine's case, known as Operation Grange, has been going since 2011.
BBC News
4 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Madeleine McCann: Police launch new search in Portugese town
German police will undertake a new search in Portugal this week as part of ongoing investigations into the disappearance of Madeleine search will reportedly take place in Praia da Luz, the town in the Algarve where she went missing nearly two decades was three years old when she vanished from a holiday apartment complex on 3 May disappearance sparked a Europe-wide police investigation, which is ongoing. Madeleine's disappearance has become one of the highest-profile unsolved missing person cases in the Metropolitan Police said it was not involved in the new search, but was aware of the operation being carried out by German authorities. "We are aware of the searches being carried by the BKA (German federal police) in Portugal as part of their investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann," the Met Police authorities said in a statement on Tuesday that "as part of the investigation into the Madeleine McCann case, criminal proceedings are currently underway in Portugal".They said this was being undertaken with the support of Portugese search will be the first to take place in two years. The last search took place near a remote dam, a 40-minute-drive from where Madeleine was last media reports the new search will focus on the area between her family's holiday resort and the house where the prime suspect in the German investigation, Christian Brückner, used to 48-year-old was named by German authorities in 2020, while serving a sentence in Germany for raping a 72-year-old American tourist in Portugal in 2005. He has never been charged in the McCann case and denies involvement.
